A few minutes before the explosion.
[Beep! Host has successfully condensed and mastered the spell Corrosive Scimitar Aura!]
Corrosive aura was a unique spell which Drodosis personally created, inspiring himself with other spells such as 'sword aura' spell, 'Shadow Elemental Cloak' as well as the many Knight Techniques involving the internal energy condensing itself on the weapon.
Spending a little more than 3 months developing and mastering the spell in near-seclusion within the Southern Wing, alone, in the middle of the acidic pool, Drodosis had made tremendous progress, and eventually, the understanding and mastery of the spell allowed the bottleneck that prevented him from progressing further on the path of a Water body refinement adept had finally been overcome.
[Beep! Host is breaking through! Breakthrough can be further boosted in order to gain additional 2 additional points of spirit! Do you wish to spend 500 evolution points for that?]
'No!'
In the past, Drodosis would have definitely said yes. 2 points of spirit was the equal of a year of daily meditation for him, and it was considering he would not encounter another bottleneck in the meantime! And, if it weren't for him meditating 20 hours a day (thanks to his biochip allowing him to do it subconsciously while retaining consciousness), it would take him 2, if not 3 years to earn these 2 points of spirit.
However, it wasn't something impossible to do. Evolution points were a gateway for you to achieve the impossible, even when the world is against you. They can be spent to understand things that are completely out of your league, and enable you to strengthen innate perks that shouldn't budge a bit without Earth-shaking treasures.
This is why Drodosis was saving them. He had yet to know what he was saving them for, but it didn't matter. The requirements to become an adept were so tough that restraining his greed was a must if he ever wanted to become one of those fearsome adepts in the future.
Suddenly, a wave of mana entered his brain, and expanded his spirit. His vessels seemed to have changed slightly, and his mind felt clearer than ever, as if before, a fog was clouding his thoughts.
Now that this 'fog' was removed, he could think faster and found himself more intelligent. His soul had also encountered a qualitative change, and he had now confidence in controlling up to 20 golems at the same time, without any major impact on his personal fighting prowess.
[Breakthrough completed! Additional benefits from the world consciousness: Genetic Improvement, Spirit +1, Physique +1, Thinking speed improved.]
Here was the main advantage that Body Refinement Adepts possessed when compared to knights: genetics. While knights and grand knights would ultimately face the dreadfulness of genetic shackles, adepts only needed to expand and cultivate their spirit to breakthrough and receive a genetic improvement. Adepts had limitless potential, as long as their talent, luck and resources allowed them to further expand their spirit. On the other hand, Grand Knights could only progress…to the peak of the Grand Knight Realm.
Even the Royal Knights of the Phuinem Kingdom were only as strong as peak rank 1 adept, with maybe the Sword Saint Richard Phuinem having reached the fighting prowess of a rank 2 adept, but it was the sole exception Drodosis knew of. After all, Richard was a one-of-a-kind freak, who had sharpened his techniques to realms beyond Drodosis' understandings, someone who had gone through thousands of battlefields, always emerging victorious despite the odds, allowing the Phuinem Kingdom to further expand and strengthen.
If not for the Sword Saint Richard, the Phuinem Kingdom would not be independent, but a land controlled by one of these huge adept families, and the royal family would be pawns 'tolerated' by adepts. However, in a world where rank 2 adepts are as scarce as phoenix's feathers, who would dare offending such a powerhouse?
On the other hand, Drodosis had records of the Old Times. There were once many rank 3, or even rank 4 adepts in this world, which was proof of the Adept's superiority over Grand Knights. However, an unexpected calamity struck Alphen, a calamity which was not recorded anywhere. Nobody knew what happened.
The answer might be lying dormant in ruins…and Drodosis could only grow more and more curious about this world's history as he was becoming more and more knowledgeable. Maybe one day, he would learn the truth of this mystery.
It was a paradoxical hole that generations of adepts and scholars couldn't pierce, sometimes in spite of having invested their whole life trying to do so. How could it not entice Drodosis, who wished to know as many things as he could? A Beep sound stopped his wild fantasies though:
[Beep! Effects of the spell successfully completed! Cost: 9 points of mana. Cooldown: ø. Effects: Envelop the sword with an aura of high acid elemental particles' concentration, adding [Spirit*2] points of acidic damage to the next attack, empowering the strike with corrosion effects. If not treated, the target will be corroded until death. Effects depend on enemy's physique, spirit and defensive prowess. If it is a shield, then it will be corroded until it breaks.]
Drodosis suddenly had an idea. What if he combined this Corrosive Aura Spell with his most powerful attack: Whirlwind Strike?
Spinning on himself at lightning speed in order to charge himself with centrifugal force and kinetic energy, he suddenly cast the Corrosive Aura Spell and concentrated it on the blade of his scimitar. Greenish light glowed into the Southern Wing, one that would blind anyone looking at him.
A second later, he moved his scimitar in order to unleash the mightiest slash he ever saw, committing. The motion he practiced over a hundred thousand of times was flawless, with very little loss of energy, and his strength, coming from all over his body, was in this very attack. The sparrow specifically crafted to withstand Advanced-acolyte spells, received the blow…but the attack didn't stop and crashed on the walls, shaking the whole Ironcloud Base…and the Water Fortress.
[Beep! Name: Drodosis Thornfield (15-years-old, 3 months).
Intermediate Acolyte – Elite Knight
Evolution points – 790
HP – 45/45
Strength – 12 (+6) | Agility – 9 (+4) | Physique – 14 (+6) | Spirit – 9 | Magic Power – 9 (+0) | Mana – 27 (+0) | Internal Energy – 16 (+0)
Status: Healthy.
Perks: → Elite Knight Physique (+6 Strength and Physique, +4 Agility), Scimitar Mastery (Peak), Scimitar Essence (+8 Internal Scimitar Energy Damage when using a scimitar.)
Skills: → Acid Spear (Deals 36 points of acid damage)
→ Water Orb (Absorb up to 171 points of damage. Cooldown: 1 hour.)
→ Water Clone (Create a clone made of elemental particles, with half of host's attributes and half the proficiency)
→ Corrosive Whirlwind Strike (Deals up to 91 points of damage)
Items: 133 magical crystals, 54 gold coins, Enchanted Scimitar (+5 Shadow element damage per strike), Grand Knight Breathing Technique, Shadow Cloak, 32 Mud Golems, Wyvern Poison Vials x12, Strength Elixir…]
Drodosis couldn't believe the hologram in front of him, which displayed his stats.
His wrist was hurting him slightly, and he knew that his 20 points of physique allowed him to reduce the damage significantly. Had he been a normal Elite Knight with around 16 points of physique, his arm would have been broken! After all, the strike had been so powerful that it was barely imaginable. Soon enough, a value reverberated in his head.
[Beep! Host dealt 75 points of damage! Skill derivation: 18%. If host masters this Corrosive Whirlwind Strike, it will be able to deal up to 91 points of damage based on host's current attributes.]
This was the combined power of an intermediate acolyte spell and an elite knight killing technique. Elite Knights were usually as strong as advanced acolytes in term of fighting power, although acolytes were more efficient in battlefields, and actually had the upper hand more often than not thanks to their knowledge, versatility, defence and artefacts.
That being said, Drodosis was now a true Elite Knight. He was not in Fang's situation anymore. His physical attributes could even be considered to be above the realm of Elite Knighthood. Not only his internal energy was thicker than ever, he was also much stronger physically, nearing the Peak Knight Realm.
However, this attack had showed even higher potential.
From 0 to 10 points of damage was the realm of mortals. From 10 to 25 was the realm of beginner acolytes and novice knights' techniques. From 25 to 50 points of damage was the realm of intermediate acolytes or veteran knights' attacks. From 50 to 75 was the realm of advanced acolytes' power or elite knights' killing techniques. As for attacks that dealt more than 75 points of damage, they could only be unleashed by suicidal strikes or pseudo-adept powerhouses.
From this moment onward, Drodosis wouldn't have to fear pseudo-adepts anymore! Even though he knew that he was still far from being a pseudo-adept powerhouse, he still had the means to pose himself as a significant threat to any pseudo-adept he would encounter in the future, not to mention that his Ironcloud Knight Order would support him as well, giving him tremendous room to place this killing technique.
Of course, there were exceptions. One of them would be Diana Lockear. Despite not dealing any attacks of pseudo-adept's realm to speak of, only dealing about 50 points of damage, her accuracy, strength and range qualified her as a pseudo-adept powerhouse. Similarly, there were necromancers who couldn't deal a lot of damage, but could still qualified as one-man-army, controlling thousands of summoned undead creatures.
Meanwhile, in the Water Fortress, chaos befell.
Fortunately, Drodosis came out as soon as he calmed his excitation.
"What's the meaning of this, Drodosis?", a voice reverberated, "You've grown up quite a bit!"
It was a mature, maculine and intelligible voice, which seemed to have frozen both guards and servants. It was the power of charisma. Drodosis was shocked. It was someone he both loved and resented. It was someone he knew nothing about, but was extremely familiar with.
From a distance, the two of them could barely be distinguished, but if one looked closer, they shared many similarities.
Their dark hair, green eyes and even their grins were marked by a troubling ressemblance. The man was tall and skinny, yet his body was inducing fear to those who looked at it, as if some sort of hidden power was dormant. He was a middle-aged man, grinning, obviously proud and arrogant. From a distance, you could tell that he was Drodosis' father.
Elder Crow, Karl Thornfield, had returned after a mission that took over a decade.
The man who had left him without any warning had come back, without a shred of shame.
The man who abandonned him in spite of other elders' hostility, had returned, grinning.
The man he both loved and hated was standing right in front of him. He had waited this moment for more than ten years, yearning for this very reunion. He endured beatings, harsh training and the hateful speeches of his trainers for this very moment. A flurry of emotion was clouding his mind: joy, hatred, frustration, relief...
What was he supposed to say to the man who was the source of the hardships he suffered for more than ten years? He was his father: Karl Thornfield. A heroic champion returning to the family in times of difficulty. Glorious yet shameless, this hero would turn the Water Fortress upside down once again.
Yet, there was no emotional hug. The father and son pair only stared at each other with mixed feelings admist the agitated crowd surrounding the both of them.